Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Eircom will connect almost 2 million homes and firms in Ireland with fibre broadband by 2020?

       

Eircom is ratcheting up its high-speed fibre broadband rollout and will increase its footprint from a targeted 1.6m homes and businesses by 2016 to 1.9m across Ireland by 2020.

The operator said the additional 300,000 homes and businesses are spread across 1,070 communities in all 26 counties, and include 300 communities not currently served with high-speed broadband.

Speeds of up to 1Gbps will be available through the use of ‘end-to-end’ fibre to the home (FTTH) technology. This expanded footprint means eircom will invest €400m in fibre over the next five years.

This is a critical development as we build a future-proofed network using a best-in-class technology to deliver the highest broadband speeds to many rural communities right across Ireland Eircom CEO Richard Moat

The homes and businesses to be served are largely ribbon-style developments across rural Ireland in communities such as Fybagh, Co Kerry; Blacksod, Co Mayo; Goleen, Co Cork; Maam, Co Galway, and Ring, Co Waterford.

Today, half of Ireland, 1.2m homes and businesses, already has access to high-speed broadband on Eircom’s network and the company remains on track to reach 70pc of the country by the end of 2016.

By 2020, that will rise to 80% of the country, with 35% of all homes and business accessing broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps when construction completes.

“This is a critical development as we build a future-proofed network using a best-in-class technology to deliver the highest broadband speeds to many rural communities right across Ireland,” said Eircom CEO Richard Moat.

Last month Eircom revealed how high-speed fibre was transforming a community in Belcarra, Mayo, and said that it has so reached nearly 1.2m of the 1.6m homes and businesses it plans to pass with fibre broadband by the end of this year.

The company also launched its new 1Gbps service, which will use more than 90,000km of fibre optic cable to connect 66 communities with these speeds.

“By making high-speed broadband available to as many people as possible, today’s announcement also reduces the intervention footprint under the Government’s National Broadband Plan, thereby reducing the burden for the taxpayer at a time where there is enormous demands for Exchequer funding,” Moat said.

Irish banks repossess four homes a day on average

  

Banks are seizing an average of four homes a day in Ireland, latest figures show.

Banks are seizing four homes every day across Ireland, latest figures reveal.

During the first three months of this year, 351 houses were repossessed by lenders after homeowners were forced to walk away from the property or ordered by the courts to give it up.

The figure relates only to houses classed as someone’s main home, and does not include more than 200 investment or buy-to-let properties also repossessed by financial institutions during the same period.

Also from January to March this year, banks launched legal actions against another 2,788 homeowners struggling with arrears in an attempt to force them to pay up or hand over the house.

More than 1,000 other cases were finalised in the courts at the same time, with repossession orders being granted to lenders for an additional 468 homes.

The new figures from the Central Bank show various banks in Ireland currently have 1,588 repossessed homes on their books they are awaiting to dispose of or sell off.

Of the 351 homes repossessed between January and March, 156 were on the back of court orders sought by the banks.

Almost 200 families or individuals chose to walk away from their home at the start of the year.

The Central Bank report also shows more than 100,000 homeowners remain in mortgage arrears in Ireland.

Of the 104,693 (nearly 14% of all mortgages) who are falling behind in their repayments, 74,395 were in arrears for over 90 days. That translates as one in 10 mortgage holders who haven’t made a repayment in more than three months.

Although the overall number continues to fall, the number of homeowners in arrears for more than two years is still rising.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said the latest figures reveal an alarming escalation in the loss of family homes.

“There is still considerable doubt about the quality of (mortgage) restructurings that are being offered to families – many of these are little more than a sticking plaster solution,” he said.

“Innovative arrangements such as split mortgages are only being offered in a small number of cases.

“There is a continuing need for a complete culture change on the part of the banks in how they deal with customers and an independent mortgage resolution process to ensure that fair treatment is given to families.”

Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said: “These figures never fail to shock.

“Almost four family homes a day are now being lost to the banks.

“The Government has promised action but, as these figures show, for many it is far too late.”

What’s the correct amount of cream to put on your strawberries?

  

Believe it or not but research in the UK has found that there is a perfect ratio of strawberries to cream and that there is an ‘ideal’ time frame to eat them in!

Research in the UK has found that a serving of strawberries and cream should be eaten in under three minutes; two minutes and 50 seconds to be precise.

The research also found the ideal strawberries-to-cream weight ratio is 70:30 or one tablespoon of single cream per two fresh medium-sized strawberries.

Why? The research found that strawberries shrink after two minutes 50 seconds of being covered in cream.

This week, June 1 to June 7, marks National Strawberry Week 2015 which is a week-long campaign to celebrate Ireland’s strawberry sector.

Strawberry sales in Ireland are valued at €55m, and Bord Bia says that there was a 14% increase in the retail value of strawberry sales to consumers in the 35-44 year old category in the last 12 months compared to the previous year, to reach €8m.

Mike Neary, Manager of Horticulture, Bord Bia said that the growth in consumption by this age group is important, as they often tend to have young children, which sets the industry up well for the future.

“Strawberries are an increasingly popular choice among consumers as a tasty, low calorie, convenient snack,” he said.

National Strawberry Week is organised by the Irish Soft Fruit Growers Association in conjunction with Bord Bia and the IFA.

The week aims to encourage consumers to enjoy more strawberries as the summer season approaches and Irish crops are at peak production, Bord Bia says.

National Strawberry Week is a consumer information campaign which includes primary school activities and an interactive website that includes seasonal recipe suggestions, it says.

Gary McCarthy of the Irish Soft Fruit Growers Association, said that fresh fruit and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet.

“The cold start to the year means the strawberry crop is a little later, but slow grown and sweeter than ever.

“We expect the Irish crop this year to total 5000t, in an industry that employs over 1,000 people,” he said.

The pain and stigma of dementia is a reality for Irish people

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has launched a campaign to address the stigma that adversely affects thousands of people living with dementia and their carers often preventing individuals from seeking or sharing a diagnosis.

The nationwide campaign, entitled Forget the Stigma, will continue until the middle of this month and urges the public to sign up to a simple, three-step challenge to fight stigma.

The challenge involves learning the facts of the condition, listening and empathising, and linking in with those with dementia to prevent isolation.

  The campaign was launched by the Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch.

“Dementia really challenges the values we hold as a society and what it means to be human,” said ASI chief executive Gerry Martin.

“We need to stop avoiding this disease and start to think how we interact with people with dementia.

“Only by understanding the facts and talking more openly about it can we face our own fears and support the thousands of individuals and families living with dementia,” he added.

Stigma is an everyday reality for the 50,000 people in Ireland living with dementia. It is also an added hardship for their family carers. Yesterday, members of the ASI’s Irish Dementia Working Group joined family carers to speak openly of the stigma they have faced.

“People with dementia have a neurological condition which affects our memory, behaviour, relationships etc but we are still ourselves.

“People have turned their back to avoid me in my local supermarket. I understand this is to do with people being uncomfortable, but I want people to know it is extremely hurtful.

“A person living with dementia can date; go out to dinner, to the cinema. We need to be socially engaged like everyone else,” she said.

Ronan Smith, 56 from Wicklow, who also has early onset Alzheimer’s said: “When I first began to tell people I had been diagnosed with dementia I got this wholly inappropriate feeling like I was ‘coming out’.

“There is nothing to fear when it comes to meeting a person with dementia. I have faced up to it, can you?”

Kerryman Sean Donal O’Shea, 30 who has cared for his mother, Debbie, 58, since her diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer’s, said that people talk about her as if she is not in the room.

“Yes, she has dementia but she is still my mom. We need to open up and talk about dementia now.”

Mr Martin added: “For a long time there was a stigma about cancer. There is still a very real stigma about dementia. People hide it from their friends and from themselves, but that’s all changing: people living with dementia are bravely speaking out and writing about it. It is the subject of films and plays and novels.

“It is in everybody’s world now and we need to face up to it. We would urge everyone to support our campaign and help make Ireland truly dementia friendly.”

Why the difference in making a will costs? €50 to €150 in various counties of Ireland

   

Kildare, Kilkenny and Donegal pay 58% more than the average when making a will according to a recent nationwide IFA survey.

Inputs Project Team Chairman of the IFA, James McCarthy, says that the survey on legal costs for making a will “ranges from €50 in counties such as Roscommon, Limerick, Wicklow and Galway to €150 in Donegal, Kildare and Kilkenny. This represents a 300% difference and IFA members should ensure that their legal charges are not excessive”.

James McCarthy added, “While we acknowledge that it does take time to create a will, the price difference is very significant. The price range seems unjustifiable, with some firms even saying they may do wills at no cost, if the clients are regular ones or if they were in financial difficulty”.

James McCarthy said, “Each person has their own affairs and circumstances, but it appears to be worth shopping around when choosing which solicitor to use”.

Fish which can walk out of water and breathe on land for six days

    

A bizarre and seemingly super-powered fish which can walk out of water and breathe on land for up to six days could spell a ‘major disaster’ for wildlife, scientists have warned. 

A bizarre and seemingly super-powered fish which can walk out of water and breathe on land for up to six days could spell a ‘major disaster’ for wildlife, scientists have warned.

The aggressive climbing perch, which has lungs as well as gills, has been discovered in northern Australia.

And according to James Cook University researchers, the creature could cause a ‘major disaster’ for Australian wildlife if it thrives there.

The fish, a native of Papua New Guinea, can kill birds and larger fish by swelling up inside their windpipes and choking them, Metro reported.

Only a few have been sighted on land in Australia so far, but scientists are said to be monitoring their progress.

Ecologist Nathan Waltham warned: “When they populate an area they’re not commonly found in, they can disrupt the balance of that habitat.”   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Noonan says repossession threats are mainly to get owners to engage

 

‘I think what the figures show is the banks using the courts to get people to engage with them’

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan at the start of the Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers at the EU council headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium.

Banks are using the threat of repossession to get home owners to engage with them, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said.

Mr Noonan is in Brussels at a meeting of finance ministers where he was asked for his reaction to figures published in The Irish Times showing banks are attempting to repossess more than 7,000 homes across the State.

“I don’t think the figures show a lot of houses being repossessed by banks. I think what the figures show is the banks using the courts to get people to engage with them who haven’t engaged,” Mr Noonan told reporters.

“The Government position is we don’t see repossession as a solution and we don’t want repossession to be a solution, but there is a whole menu of solutions.

“Over 90,000 mortgages have been restructured over the last three years. In December alone, 2,500 mortgages have been restructured.

“What we want people to do is to engage with their lenders and see if they can work out a restructuring that will be suitable for their particular case, but we don’t see repossession as part of the solution.”

The Data released to The Irish Times by the courts service indicates that, as of January 1st, some 7,101 civil bills for repossession had been lodged by the banks across the State’s 26 circuit courts.

The largest volume, 1,420, are lodged in Dublin Circuit Court, followed by 564 in Meath, 543 in Cork Circuit Court and 412 in Galway. The next-highest number, 405, are active in Co Kildare, underlining increasing distress among mortgage holders in the commuter counties around Dublin. In Wicklow there are 255 active bills for repossession lodged by banks.

The legal rights organisation Flac (Free Legal Advice Centres) proposed that early financial and legal advice be provided for people trying to negotiate a restructure of their mortgage debt. The group has proposed a three-point solution to the problems of those in arrears on a family home.

The group said that if the Government was serious about tackling mortgage arrears on family homes in a way that would keep people in their family homes, it would have to provide adequate financial and legal advice in a timely way to people who are trying to negotiate restructure of their mortgage debt.

An independent service which could objectively assess whether a sustainable mortgage restructure was possible and what that it might be would also be required.

Thirdly, radical reform of the mortgage-to-rent scheme in order to allow those with recognisably unsustainable mortgages to ensure reasonable housing was required.

Flac director Noeline Blackwell said the organisation had long predicted that a rise in repossessions “was bound to result when lenders have an absolute discretion to decide whether a loan is sustainable or not”.

“The Central Bank’s Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears has proved to be ineffective as a counterbalance and even when it is working perfectly, it is only a tick-box exercise.

A real effort to keep people in their family homes will need a much stronger commitment from government to solve this poisonous problem in our society,” Ms Blackwell said.

It was “entirely wrong that poor, over-indebted people have been expected to go in to negotiate the roof over their own heads with lenders on their own unless they can get assistance from MABS, organisations such as Flac, or from private professionals working pro bono.

Flac’s senior policy analyst Paul Joyce said the State’s own figures showed that the number of re-possession applications on family homes was “rising inexorably” and would continue to do so as lenders dealt with those cases where arrears and difficulty had become more entrenched.

The advocacy body said it was known that about 38,000 households had been in arrears for more than two years and said this was the only category of mortgage arrears that is increasing in the last number of reports from the Central Bank.

“This means that the extent of the problem can be quantified, ” Flac said.

It said it did not accept that all of these cases were unsustainable mortgages.

Separately, the People Before Profit group said the escalation of home repossessions showed the “utter failure” of government insolvency and banking policies.

People Before Profit said the escalation in the number of repossessions also showed the need to “take the bailed out banks into full public ownership and entirely change their mandate”.

TD Richard Boyd Barrett said “the looming avalanche” of repossessions showed the need for the banks to be put under public ownership and put a stop to ‘for profit’ banking”.

“It simply beggars belief that banks which are only still standing because of a massive bailout by the citizens of this country are being allowed to turf many of those same citizens out of their homes.”

Independent TD for Roscommon South-Leitrim Michael Fitzmaurice said he would urge support for the Bill being proposed by Labour TD Willie Penrose on the insolvency problem.

He said it would “put pressure on the banks to sort out mortgage and other debt problems in a more sympathetic way”.

Figures released to The Irish Times by the courts service indicate that, as of January 1st, some 7,101 civil bills for repossession had been lodged by the banks across the State’s 26 circuit courts.

The largest volume, 1,420, are lodged in Dublin Circuit Court, followed by 564 in Meath, 543 in Cork Circuit Court and 412 in Galway. The next-highest number, 405, are active in Co Kildare, underlining increasing distress among mortgage holders in the commuter counties around Dublin. In Wicklow there are 255 active bills for repossession lodged by banks.

The Titanic Belfast beats the Eiffel Tower to the ‘best tourist attraction’ spot

  

The Titanic Belfast has fended off one of the most iconic buildings in Europe to be named the continent’s best visitor attraction.

The 300m Eiffel Tower may have breathtaking views of Paris, bit it was Northern Ireland’s top tourist spot which won over judges at a major travel awards event in Berlin.

It also beat off stiff competition from artist Claude Monet’s Grand Gardens in France and the London Eye.

Inside an impressive exterior – designed to resemble the ship’s prow – Titanic Belfast contains a number of exhibitions on early 20th Centrury Belfast, the ship-building industry, the ship’s sinking and its legacy.

It was the only attraction from across Ireland to be recognised at the European Group Travel Awards.

CEO of Tourism Ireland Niall Gibbons said: “Congratulations to Titanic Belfast on this very well deserved award. Since its opening in 2012, Titanic Belfast has become a truly iconic and ‘must visit’ attraction for overseas visitors to Belfast.”

The inaugural European Group Travel Awards (EGTA) were organised to recognise and celebrate the best suppliers in the group travel sector, with group travel buyers around Europe asked to submit their nominees in 21 different categories

MH370 missing airline report offers no answers or clues as search goes on

 

Report reveals nothing unusual about crew, flight, except that locator beacon battery expired

As families of victims on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 marked the first anniversary of the plane’s disappearance yesterday, they remained hopeful for answers in the world’s biggest aviation mystery, as leaders of Malaysia, China and Australia indicated they would not give up the search for the jet and the 239 people on board.

But any hopes that the release yesterday of the most comprehensive report to date on the disappearance of the Boeing 777 would shed some light on its fate did not materialise.

The 584-page report by a 19-member independent investigation group led by Malaysia went into minute details about the crew’s lives, including their medical and financial records and training. It also detailed the aircraft’s service record, as well as the weather, communications systems and other aspects of the flight. Nothing unusual was revealed, except for the previously undisclosed fact that the battery of the underwater locator beacon for the plane’s data recorder had expired more than a year before the plane vanished on March 8, 2014.

The lack of a beacon would have only added to the extraordinary challenges faced by search teams in the aftermath of the plane’s disappearance, as they listened in vain for signals from the devices in the deep waters far off the Australian coast.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday (SUN) that Malaysia remained committed to the search for the missing jetliner.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, where most of the passengers came from, said his government will provide “all needed service to every next of kin” and help uphold their “legitimate and lawful rights and interests.”

“A year has passed, the plane has not been located, but the search effort will continue,” he told a news conference in Beijing. “Today must be a difficult day for the next of kin … Our hearts are with you.”

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott added that the hunt for the plane will not end even if the scouring of the current search area comes up empty.

Vowing never to give up on the search for their loved ones, family members of those aboard the plane wore symbolic T-shirts and released white balloons yesterday to mark the anniversary of the jet’s disappearance.

In Kuala Lumpur, Voice 370, a support group for the kin of those on board, hosted a “Day of Remembrance” at Publika Mall.

How you can save as much as €275 on your electricity bills this year

    

Energy companies have benefited hugely from a plunge in wholesale gas prices over the last year

Families will soon get the chance to save up to €275 a year on their electricity bills as the first of the price cuts announced by energy companies earlier this year starts to kick in.

In just over a week’s time, Bord Gais Energy will cut its electricity prices by 2.5% and its gas prices by 3.5%. Although the gas price cut is well below the 5% reduction introduced by its sister company, British Gas, earlier this year, these cuts are a step in the right direction.

Energy companies have benefited hugely from a plunge in wholesale gas prices over the last year so it’s about time consumers started to see gas and electricity prices fall.

Once its price reductions kick in on March 16, an average household will pay €996 a year for their electricity – as long as they sign up to Bord Gais’s cheapest energy deal.

That deal includes its €100 cashback offer and its 10pc electricity discount. Under this cashback offer, you get €100 off your electricity bill if you sign up to Bord Gais, pay your bills by level pay direct debit (where you pay the same amount every month for your electricity), and receive your bills online. To secure its 10pc electricity discount, you must sign up to Bord Gais for a year.

At €996 a year, the cost of electricity for a typical household under that Bord Gais deal is €65 less a year than one of the best deals on the market for new electricity customers – Electric Ireland’s Value Saver (direct debit and online billing) offer. Under that Value Saver deal, an average household would pay €1,061 a year for their electricity.

A typical household could, however, be paying between €1,193 and €1,271 a year for their electricity if they’re on standard, rather than discounted electricity rates – depending on the supplier. A family paying standard electricity rates could therefore save as much as €275 by signing up to Bord Gais’s cheapest electricity deal this year.

Remember Bord Gais’s cashback deal is a once-off offer so it is unlikely to be available after a year. The 10pc discount will also expire after the first year – and revert to a 5pc discount instead. This means you will probably get your electricity cheaper with another supplier after your first year with Bord Gais.

This applies to any discounted energy deal you sign up to.

“Most discounts run out after a year – so once you’ve been with the same provider for a year, check what rate you’re paying for your electricity or gas,” said Simon Moynihan, communications director with the personal finance website, bonkers.ie. For this reason, be prepared to switch your energy company if you want to grab some of the best electricity and gas deals out there. The best offers are usually only available to new or returning customers – rather than existing ones.

Switching energy provider is free and straightforward. First choose the supplier you wish to move to. Then, get a copy of your latest electricity or gas bill and have it to hand when you contact the supplier you want to switch to. You will be asked for your Meter Point Registration Number (MPRN) if switching your electricity, or your Gas Point Registration Number (GPRN) if switching gas. You will find these numbers on your energy meters – and latest bills.

Your new supplier will ask for a meter reading – as well as your address. It will then make the necessary arrangements with your old supplier to have your account switched. You will need to give your new supplier your bank details if you are going to pay by direct debit.

Understand and be comfortable with the terms and conditions of your contract before you sign up to a new supplier. You often need to stay with the same company for at least a year to qualify for a discount. There are usually break fees if you end your contract before the year (or whatever the minimum term is) is up.

Your key priority when switching should be to save money. Be wary of using prepaid meters to do so as electricity usually works out more expensive when you pay for it in this way.

“Generally, electricity is up to €300 more expensive a year with pre-pay meters than you would pay if you went with the cheapest deal,” said Mr Moynihan.

Bord Gais won’t be the only energy company cutting its prices this year. Electric Ireland, which reduced its electricity prices by 2pc last November, will cut its gas prices by 2.5pc from April 1. On the same date, SSE Airtricity will chop its gas and electricity prices while Flogas will cut its gas prices. There will be plenty of opportunities to save money on your electricity and gas bills in the coming months – so get moving.

Irish customers more likely to switch insurers, A global survey finds

ONLY 3% HAD COMPLETE TRUST IN INSURANCE PROVIDER

  

“Irish customers often research prices online when policies are taken out and this is also a trigger for switching,” James Maher of EY Ireland said.

Some 45% of Irish customers are likely to switch insurance provider in the next 12 months, according to the findings of EY’s Global Consumer Insurance Survey.

This figure, which excludes life insurance, can be compared with 26% globally.

This is largely attributed to the fact that Irish consumer decisions are often motivated by the costs and terms of their policy.

The survey of about 24,000 people in 30 countries examined what matters most in the relationship customers have with their insurers, how they interact and how satisfied they are with the range of policy offerings.

Half of Irish respondents claimed to have moderate trust in their insurance providers. Only 3%  had complete trust – the lowest figure globally.

James Maher, insurance sector lead for financial services at EY Ireland said: “The low levels of trust and high degrees of switching intent among Irish customers may reflect the limited personal interaction they have with their insurers.

“Irish customers often research prices online when policies are taken out and this is also a trigger for switching.”

SCIENTISTS UNCORK 170 YEAR OLD BEER

 

IF YOU HAVE EVER WONDERED WHAT A 170-YEAR-OLD BOTTLE OF SHIPWRECKED BEER TASTES OF THEN WONDER NO MORE – VINEGARY, “GOATY” AND OF SOUR MILK.

That was the conclusion of a research team, led by John Londesborough of the Technical Research Center of Finland, when they uncorked two bottles recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Finland in 2010. Dating back to the 1840s, scientists hoped to discovering what a 19th century beer might have tasted of and provide an insight into how the beverage was made.

The 2.8 to 3.2% beers were perhaps surprisingly a “bright golden yellow, with little haze,” diluted by seawater by up to 30% percent, which also meant their original alcohol content could have been much higher at the point of bottling. The beer itself was said to have developed some unpleasant aromas including yeast extract, cabbage, plastic, burnt rubber, overripe cheese, goat and sulfur, likely to have been caused by bacteria growing inside the bottles for decades.

However despite bacterial degradation and seawater dilution, scientists were able to analyse the beer to ascertain its original flavour compounds, revealing specific flavours of “green leaf”, sweet apple and rose which would made then similar to modern larger than ales and stouts.

The team’s findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry last month, which said the two bottles contained different beers with bitterness lower in the first bottle indicating a modern light lager, and higher in the second bottle.

“Compared to modern beers, the shipwreck beers contained similar levels of potassium but 15- to 60-fold more sodium, presumably derived from sea water. This may have diluted the beers up to 30%,” the scientists wrote. “Ethanol contents were low (2.8-3.2%) compared to typical modern lagers and ales. The mass ratios of glycerol and ethanol were 4.5% for both shipwreck beers, which is typical for a yeast fermentation product.”

“In summary, these two, about 170-year-old bottles contained two different beers, one more strongly hopped than the other with the low α-acid yielding hop varieties common in the 19th century.”

Since the beers were discovered, a brewery in Finland has recreated what they believe to be as close to the real thing as possible. Called Stallhagen Historic Beer 1843, the beer is a ‘spontaneously fermented beer’ using malt and wheat.

The bottles were discovered on a shipwrecked schooner in the Baltic Sea 165ft (50 metres) deep off the coast of the Åland Islands in Finland, along with several bottles of Champagne from Piper-Heidsieck and Veuve Clicquot, 11 of which were auctioned in Paris in 2012.